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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · wound · swing · bat · bark · pop · craft · rest

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pop — soda
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rest — a break
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — boats
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com